What we learned in Texas this week

Right, so these Warriors? Not ready to play with the big boys just yet. A 40-point drubbing, followed by a 28-point drubbing, makes that as abundantly clear as the following:

Players are realizing just how cushy a schedule they had to start the year. Sure, they beat a lot of good teams, but all of those wins came at home (with the exception of Dallas), and most almost all their opponents were coming in on a back-to-back.

Now, everything is reversed. The Warriors are on a stretch that has them playing 9 of 12 on the road with five back-to-back sets. Next week, they’ll leave for a six-game road trip that goes through Phoenix, Orlando and Miami. That could easily turn disastrous.

Those stop-and-pop jumpers by Monta Ellis don’t fall as easily on the road. Nor do those long three-pointers by Baron Davis or those corner threes by Mickael Pietrus (though he’s probably better served shooting those than wildly driving to the basket).

The point is when shots aren’t falling, the Warriors still have nowhere to go in the post and only one player who can drive it inside (without getting stripped) and get to the free-throw line. And that’s Davis, which makes him part of the problem and solution.

Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis have hit a mini-wall now that teams have scouted them out. Biedrins isn’t getting much help defensively in the post, so he’s been in early foul trouble and had to sit for stretches. Ellis doesn’t take care of the ball and can’t go left.

Like it or not, it’s going to take time for these immense talents to work through their weaknesses.